Food & Food Product Photographer. Baked Goods. Bakery Andante.

There’s nothing like the smell of fresh cooked bread, the crisp crackle sound of the crust nicely browned in the hot oven and yes, presented to you in a warm paper wrapper – no horrible plastic bags… This is how the shoot started, a huge tray of fresh baked bread, other smells from the grains used and the different flours of spelt and sourdough all filled the car as we collected the product for a food photography shoot back here in the studio.

We’d already got a styling idea in mind – old scales from the fifties, wooden benches and yes, fresh flowers as if the bread were baked in a kitchen back home! Key to the shoot on this occasion, product aside – was the food photography prop acquisition. As a studio we’re somewhat fanatical in prop collection whether it be fruit forks with bone handles from the Victorian period, ice cream scoops from the 30’s, worn butcher knives and even pewter jugs – you name it we’re buying it in weekly. So working from the prop store we used the old scales we acquired from a local brick and brack store, used a stunning brass weight set and began to build the food set. The boards were a recently acquired seas-washed board set – yes, a load of old planks that were on the beach which we dressed up and fitted to form a back drop. Lighting was great fun – side lighting using only one continuous light at 30% of its power – just to fill the shadows and an accent light – a heavy yellow bulb set to pick up the background. The rest was easy, slicing the bread, applying ingredients props and building a scene based upon each and every bread recipe. Of course, a fine strawberry jam was need after the shoot….!